Still has Shrapnel in His Body

Tonight's news reveals that the second Boston Marathon Bomber has been captured alive.  Residents in the area immediately surrounding the capture site cheer the officers and emergency personnel who have brought a sad chapter to an end.  People of Boston breathe more freely tonight, even though the carnage of Monday hasn't changed, and there will be an exhaustive investigation as to how these two young men could possibly gain anything by killing some people and injuring hundreds of others.

Through the course of these last four days we have heard a certain resolve from the people of Boston and from an entire country.  Unlike some other tragedies, this one galvanized the will of a people.  More than once I have read or heard people say that forces of evil will not win.

They cannot win.

A few years ago I traveled in Israel for ten days with Shimshon, an Israeli who carried shrapnel in his  body from a suicide bomber twenty years ago.  He happened to be on a bus when the bomber performed his deadly act.  Some on the bus died.  Shimshon survived and vowed that, to his dying breath, he would fight those forces of evil.

The bomber failed miserably in his attempt to frighten a people into submission.  Conversely, it caused one man to step up to the plate in a new way.  Metal fragments cause him pain from time to time, but they also motivate him to tell the truth as he knows it to anyone who will listen.

Evil did not win in Jerusalem that day.  Evil did not win in Boston on Monday.  Instead, the forces of good come together to defeat evil.  Oh, evil will win a battle from time to time, but it will not win the war.  That war has already been won in Christ whose wounds are those of victory.

Prayers for Peace

Did the person or persons responsible for the bombings in Boston today know they would kill an eight year old?  Would it have made a difference?

Certainly that knowledge did not make a difference in the Sandy Hook tragedy in which the shooter took direct aim at young children (and adults, too).

What kind of evil possesses a person to take lives as if life has no value?  This is not something new.  It has been happening since the beginning of recorded history.  Those familiar with the Bible know that very early on a brother killed brother out of jealousy.

Ultimately in this world there is no answer for this kind of evil.  Each generation deals with its mass killings or bombings or acts of hate.  Each time we pray it will be the last.  It won't be.  It won't because of  the evil that lurks in this world.

We are in the season of Easter proclaiming life and new life.  We do not give in to evil but proclaim final victory over death and evil.  Those without conscience can rob us of almost anything in this world, but they cannot take faith and hope.  They cannot take the sure and certain hope of resurrection to eternal life.

And so we pray.  God in heaven, bring peace to a troubled world.  Bring comfort to those who have suffered loss.  Bring soundness of mind and spirit to all.  In the name of the one who looked evil in the face and won the battle for us, Jesus Christ, we pray.  Amen.

Pure Water

On the way into church this morning, a Bethel couple pointed out a sign just across Third Avenue from Bethel Lutheran. They chuckled that a water service has the "purest water in Rochester."

It was clear that the husband and wife were contrasting that water with the water we commonly use in churches to baptize. As it would happen, there was a little girl baptized in "pure water" this morning.

We are in the season of Easter. We have just come through a long season of Lent following Jesus' path to the cross. We have now spent eight days celebrating the resurrection that brings new life. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews in the Bible weighs in on this pure water: "Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."

Bodies washed in pure water. Consciences made clean by the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ. What a gift.

I suspect that most of us want to drink "pure water." Is not a body washed clean by the pure water of Christ an even better gift?

Maybe we better put up a sign: "Try our pure water. You will be eternally thankful."

Shout Hosanna!

Almost 2000 years ago, the people of Jerusalem welcomed Jesus into their town with palms.  In 2013, the Wahl family welcomed little Jillian Jo into this world with palms.

Our three children were born on Super Bowl Sunday, Ash Wednesday, and the day before Ascension Day (honestly, Kathy did not want to wait one more day for the last one).  Now we have a Palm Sunday grandchild.

Jillian Jo's parents called us early on Sunday morning to announce the news--news which was a bit unexpected since her due date was Good Friday.  (Side note--Palm Sunday is a far better day to be born than Good Friday.  Good job, Jillian.)  The Rochester grandparents could hardly constrain themselves to get to a Twin Cities hospital to see this new little life.

But there were some delays.  First were the gatherings of hundreds of people in two worship services who would literally sing hosannas to the Son of David.  Palms were raised and waved.  But there were two people whose minds might have been elsewhere, wanting to welcome a new daughter of God.

Another delay.  We were hosting the annual Palm Sunday family gathering.  The extended family is too involved in many churches to break away on Easter, so we gather a week early at our home--this year about twenty of us.  The food and conversation were marvelous.  But there were two whose minds might have been elsewhere.

Finally, we turned our backs on our guests and told them to shut the door on their way out--we were going to meet a new granddaughter!

There is no gift in this world like the gift of a new life.  Lungs breathe life-giving oxygen.  Hearts pump the life to all parts of a new body.  A little finger moves reflexively, if not by will.  Creation is amazing.

There is one gift nearly like new life.  That is new life in Christ, celebrated around the world in a few days.  Jillian Jo may live to be 100 years old--or more, with improving health care.  But there will be a certain end, at least on this earth.  Then that life promised by God in Christ bears full fruit.

I can see palms waving in heaven the day Jillian Jo arrives.  And I can imagine that God will be even more welcoming and proud than a grandfather.  Hosanna!

THEY GAVE NICKELS

A recent children's experience at worship offered three new pieces of grace.  Part of the Gospel reading for that day was the parable of the woman who has ten coins but loses one of them.  She searches diligently for the coin until she finds it and then rejoices with her neighbors!

From a location high above the chancel floor, I asked the children who had come forward for the children's word if they ever lose things, and how they feel when they find them.  When they responded with joy, I dropped coins from my high perch and asked the children to find them.  After all had found a coin, it was clear that they were rejoicing!

Grace note number one:  At the Saturday evening worship there were seven children.  I had thrown seven nickels onto the floor.  After the worship service, the assistant brought me the children's offering to secure.  Ordinarily there are a few dollar bills and a quarter or two on Saturday.  That night there were six nickels in addition to the normal offering.  I can only believe that six of the children decided it would be good to give the money back to the church.  What grace.

Grace note number two:  At the first service on Sunday, I was overwhelmed with children.  While I had 40 more nickels, about 40 children came up for the children's word.  They scrambled for the coins when I threw them.  It was holy chaos.  I confessed to the congregation that I would have to go looking for more money between services since I had used all I had.  On the way out of the sanctuary, a few people had coins in their hands, one man an entire hand full of coins.  I didn't have to go looking for coins at all.  People were generous.

Grace note number three:  The coins at the second Sunday service were not all nickels since they had been given to me.  As I threw coins this time, there was a mix.  One boy didn't seem to get any of the coins.  I had a dollar coin in my hand.  I flicked it down in front of him, and he rejoiced to find this coin--an entire dollar!  After worship his mother came to me and told me that the boy had decided that dollar would be his offering at the children's word.  The parents did not prompt him.  He was simply generous with what he had been given.

Oh, we might think that we give and give.  But we get more in return.  And we return some to the one who has given and continues to give us all good things.  We can learn from children who give nickels...and dollar coins.